How Drinking Cherry Juice for Gout Could Help You

If you suffer from gout, you know just how painful this condition can be. Attacks can be very severe and the pain and swelling often gets worse over time. There are not really any cures for gout but there are a number of things you can do to minimise the frequency and severity of attacks. Recent studies have shown that drinking tart cherry juice for gout is one of the most effective measures.

Could Cherry Juice for Gout Work for You?

A recently published study that was partly funded by Northumbria University found that uric acid levels in the bloodstream of participants who drank tart cherry juice twice a day were lowered for up to 8 hours afterwards. As it is believed to be high levels of uric acid that lead to the formation of sodium urate crystals (which cause the joint pain and swelling in sufferers), this discovery is very good news for those who are currently battling the condition. There is a very real possibility of a link between cherry juice and gout that will help sufferers all over the world. The reasons it is believed that the use of the humble cherry for gout is so effective are outlined below.

How Cherries Help Sufferers

1. Anti Inflammatory Anthocyanins - The beneficial link between gout and cherry juice was first discovered in the 1950s and there have been a number of studies since that appear to demonstrate the ability of cherries to reduce pain in gout sufferers. It is believed that the anthocyanins in the fruit possess powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Clearly, any food that has an anti-inflammatory effect has great potential to improve the quality of life of sufferers.

2. Lowering of Uric Acid Levels – Another reason that cherry juice for gout has proven to be an effective remedy is because it increases the excretion of urates in urine whilst blocking the tubular reabsorption of urates at the same time. The pain and swelling from gout is caused by the formation of sodium urate crystals in and around joints so anything that lowers the level of uric acid in the bloodstream can only be good news for sufferers.

3. Reducing the Production of Uric Acid – In addition to lowering existing levels of uric acid in the bloodstream, drinking tart or black cherry juice for gout is believed to reduce the production of new uric acid in the body by inhibiting xanthine oxidase. Xanthine oxidase is an enzyme that, among other things, is responsible for catalysing the oxidation process that turns xanthine into uric acid.

4. Vitamin C – A study published in 2009 linked the intake of higher amounts of vitamin C to a lowering of the risk of developing gout. Nearly 47,000 men were involved in this study and the participants whose intake of vitamin C was between 1,000 and 1,499mg had a 34% lower chance of developing gout whilst those whose intake was 1,500mg of vitamin C per day had a 45% lower chance of developing the condition. As cherries are rich in vitamin C, ingesting the fresh fruit, as well as juice and cherry extract for gout, could play a preventative role and perhaps reduce the occurrence of future attacks in those who already suffer from the condition.

What Do the Professionals Say?

When asked, “is cherry juice good for gout?”, the answer that your doctor gives you may well depend on how much time he or she spends reading about studies involving natural cures such as fresh cherries and cherry pills for gout. Any doctor that is aware of the long history of studies involving this fruit, will probably suggest that you give it a try as so many other people have benefited from taking cherry capsules for gout, drinking juice made from the fresh fruit and eating the fresh fruit itself. In fact, it is a good idea to consult with your GP before you try any new form of treatment for your condition, just in case there are any unusual factors in your case that may preclude the use of certain drugs and natural cures.

What Are Your Options?

Assuming that your doctor gives you the go ahead, there are a number of ways in which you can ingest the necessary amount of cherries on a daily basis to see if they relieve your symptoms or even banish them altogether. Many people recommend cherry juice for gout because it is easy to carry juice wherever you go and it can be bought in almost any supermarket or food store. Then there is tart and black cherry extract; gout sufferers across the globe have used both forms of concentrated juice to treat their condition in the past. The more concentrated form makes it even easier to carry so you can drink it at work, at home, or when you are on the move. Whether you decide to try tart or black cherry juice, gout sufferers before you have successfully used both so it really is a personal decision. Tart fruit contains more anthocyanins but the reason black cherry for gout is also recommended is because it contains vitamin A and vitamin C, in addition to decent levels of anthocyanins.

Further Research

It appears that the answer to the question, “does cherry juice help gout?” is almost certainly yes but if you like to conduct in-depth research before trying new cures, you may want to spend some more time searching online for relevant articles. You can search for the 1950 paper published in Texas Reports on Biology and Medicine; a study in the Journal of Nutrition from 2006; and a 2012 Boston University study, published in Arthritis and Rheumatism, to give you a deeper understanding of the topic. The beneficial link between tart and black cherry juice and gout has been examined in various other studies over the years if you would like to dig even deeper. Whether you spend more time researching or dive right in and try it, you could soon be enjoying the benefits first-hand.

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